Field Hockey | 10/31/2016 2:52:00 PM

The St. John Fisher College field hockey team will be hosting the Empire 8 Championship at Growney Stadium this weekend. The Cardinals will be joined Washington & Jefferson College, Hartwick College and Stevens Institute of Technology as the four teams in the conference tournament.

Finishing off the season with a perfect Empire 8 record of 8-0 is the top-seeded Cardinals. Fisher leads the conference in scoring this season, averaging 3.3 goals per game. Heading the offense is junior Emily Markarian, whose 43 regular-season points not only breaks the Fisher single-season record, but also ranks first in the Empire 8 and 18^th in all of Division III.  Teammates Lauren Fazio and Kelly Bergamo each have 12 goals as well on the year, while Fazio's eight assists are tied for the team-lead.

Fisher's defense has also been a key factor in the success as the team holds its opponents to a conference-low .88 goals per game. Anchoring the defense is sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Maynard, whose save percentage (.923) and her goals-against average (.46) lead all of NCAA Division III. She is aided by a solid defensive back-line consisting of Sarah Bisesi, Alexandrea Malley and Hannah Cooper.

The Cardinals will square off in the Championship's first semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. on Friday against the No. 4 Ducks of Stevens. 

The second game of the day will begin at 6:30 p.m. as second-seeded Washington and Jefferson take on No. 3 Hartwick. 

The championship game will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday and will be between the winners of the previous day's contests.  The winner of Saturday's title game will be crowned the Empire 8 champion and will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Ticket prices will be as follows: Adults - $5, Students and seniors $3, Children Under 12 – Free


For more information, visit the  2016 Empire 8 Conference Championship Home Page